EF Chinese New Year Party

We had a holiday party at my school last Saturday, but this Thursday was the main event: the all-Shanghai party where 500 employees from around the city attended. The president of the company was there as well. He was a cheerful man with a friendly smile.

The party was held in the ballroom of a hotel on the other side of town. We took a taxi to the metro & then the metro to the hotel. It took us about an hour to get there. When we arrived, they stamped our hands & directed us to sit at the big round tables in the ballroom where we were left to mingle for an hour or so.

Then they announced that the buffet was ready & the feeding frenzy began. In the traditional Chinese way, everyone pushed & shoved their way to the food. No line, no order. People piled their plates high, reaching over each other for the serving spoons, & stepping on each other's toes as they fought their way out of the crowd. It was utter chaos.

After dinner came the entertainment. A few representatives from each school performed for the rest of us. Most of them sang Chinese songs karaoke style. A few did choreographed dances. There was a stand-up comedian & a Donald Duck impersonator. & one guy made a creative video about being successful in his job after taking English classes at EF. Of course the climax of the evening was the prize raffle. (I didn't win.)

At the end of the night, people started heading home. We said goodbye to each other & took taxis in various directions. I had fun hanging out with my coworkers & watching the entertainment. It was a good night.